1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to public warning of impending danger. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus capable of receiving a transmitted signal having a warning message embedded thereon and converting the warning message into an audio and/or visual warning signal for a person in a specific area.
2. Description of Prior Art
The prior art related to this invention is known to be general public warning systems that alert an entire community, although in many applications, the entire community is notified of the possible most hazardous locations. These warnings are produced in the following manners:
(1) a hand held radio, although economical to purchase, it must be turned on to warn the user;
(2) an electric radio design that may be activated by means of the broadcast system or in association with the National Weather Service; these radios may be activated when the on/off switch is in the off position, however they are much more costly, and therefore, limit the user""s ability to purchase, and also limiting the number of radios one can afford, thereby restricting the area of a building or location the warning may be received by persons in the threat of danger; and
(3) community sirens, which may alert the community along with the television, computer, and similar warning systems.
The major problems associated with these systems are that they alert an entire large area, much of which is not affected by the hazard. This results in the community becoming complacent of the repeated warnings that seldom develop near them, resulting in persons ignoring the warnings. Also, in many cases, some people do not have a television or radio on, particularly, during the night-time hours, or may be watching or playing with a video movie or game, and therefore, do not receive the warning.
This invention teaches a means of alerting persons of impending danger as related to civil defense, National Weather Service Warning, and any general threat to the public. This alert in one embodiment is a receiver that is economical enough to install in a substantial number of locations within a home or building, and that may plug into any standard electrical outlet and have a low power usage back up source.
This invention also teaches activating the receivers directly in the path, in the immediate area, or in a potential area as may be required by receiving a transmission from cellular communication towers, for example, or other similar means directly in the areas required.
The present invention assists in minimizing the complacency that accumulates in communities where general alerts are issued and seldom affect the entire alerted community. It also provides an economical and practical means of alerting persons, especially children and the elderly, that may be utilizing a television for video movies or games, and/or not have any notification means turned on or tuned in as would be required to receive an alert, to be alerted any time of the day or night, even if the parents are not available to provide directive procedures or precautions as required. This device can also be used for alerting persons that may be deaf or possess other handicaps by flashing lights or any variety of signaling means.
The invention renders a design and means economical enough to be afforded by any persons and/or supplied by civil entities where automatic activated radio receivers or other known means are too expensive for mass populations.
The invention can alternately be used as a means of alerting a user of a mobile cellular or digital phone that may be driving into an area of danger. Further, one or more of the household devices may be taken to sporting, camping, family outings or functions, and may be powered by a replaceable or rechargeable battery or any means of connecting to a vehicle. The invention can also be adapted for connection to a telephone or any desired circuitry entering a building, etc., that may be activated by any utility such as a telephone, cable or satellite television, computer, electrical power utilities, or any entities that have means to activate the invention by electrical pulsing, reverse 911 calling, computer activation transmitting, or any known means that may activate the invention related to the method of means available to a particular utility or entity.
The object of the invention is for use as a primary receiver that may transmit to any number of secondary receivers with less costly circuitry, yet can provide an alert signal to persons in the area. The invention can be utilized as a surge protector, or a circuit breaker means that has a proper functioning indicator and testing means, and may have the circuit monitored by the alert signaling entity by means of signaling the user of a non-active device or means of resetting the circuit breaker manually or by means from the alerting entity.
In the preferred embodiment, the system or device is installed by means of plugging into an electrical outlet, and or can be jointly or independently battery powered, and is activated by means of current cellular phone technology or other current means that is capable of transmitting any desired signal or transmission known, or those emerging compatible types of technology that can be adapted to this device, and transmitted from locally placed transmission or cell phone towers, or any other antennas or compatible transmitting systems. Also, the warning signal may be transmitted on specific frequencies for specific areas or warning requirements or any similar means rendering the same results. Types of wireless signals include, but are not limited to, cellular telephone, radio frequencies, Loran, analog cordless telephone, digital enhanced cordless telephone, general public radio service, shared wireless access protocol, high sped circuit switch data, universal mobile telecommunications, enhanced data rate for GSM evolution, global positioning satellite and standard satellite signals. Types of carrier line signals include, but are not limited to, utility power lines, telephone lines, DSL, cable and fiber optic lines.
When a warning is desired to be transmitted to a specific area regardless of size, the proper authorities cause the system to transmit a signal to the devices desired, and the device warns or alerts any persons within its range by means of a tone, voice, light or any other desired means. The system may include a primary receiving unit or device that may activate additional devices within its range, and that these secondary devices may be manufactured as a less expensive version from the primary unit. This device will enable persons that are not currently watching television, radio, or may be traveling, on camping trips, at sporting events, etc., to be alerted in the case of any civil emergency in their specific area, unlike weather radios which may be of an inexpensive design which are required to be turned on to receive an alert, or an expensive design that may costly, resulting in them being unavailable to many consumers or limited in the number per household, etc., that may leave a number of persons in the household beyond the reach, or unable to take advantage of the warning transmitted, without alerting an entire county or large area causing complacency or unnecessary concern to those persons not affected. Also, as described herein, the present invention will have advantages over local sirens, conventional radio systems or telephone systems by being located in the home, office, camper, or any other location that persons may be in, and unable to hear a distant siren or receive a warning by any other means. No radio, telephone, or electrical service need be required, depending on the type of device selected and covered in the description of this invention.
The device could be taken out of a wall electrical outlet and taken anywhere. In this embodiment, the unit could have a snap on cover for the back, and a handle that could double as a brace to standing the unit in a nearly upright position. The rechargeable batteries, and/or replacement batteries would supply power to the device. The unit could be sold or leased to consumers as previously described developing digital TV transmitters or any telecommunication companies or developing means may also be used.
The signal transmitted from the cellular or other tower in the specific locations of the emergency or hazard could also activate cellular telephones that were operating in that area by means of a tone heard only by the customer using the cellular phone. This could either be by a simple tone that the customer would recognize as an emergency signal or it could have a tone or ring, and then the customer could answer or punch a certain number and receive a recorded message of the impending emergency, or the message could appear on the cell phone screen. Another manner of notifying the user of danger could be that future designed cellular telephones could have a system built into them that would turn the telephone on in case of emergency when the phone is not activated at the time, thereby, notifying the user by means of the phone ringing that they are in an area of potential danger. It could also warn cellular phone users of major traffic accidents or delays in specific areas.
An additional embodiment of the invention could be to activate computers by means of an installed processor-receiver or over telephone lines that could flash a message on the computer screen, and/or sound a tone or call the person by ringing the telephone at a specific address, or activate any electrical device within the area by means of being installed to any incoming communication or power source that may simply be plugged into a receiving connection, and any entity that desires to provide service in their particular field of operation may simply send a signal to the device attached to the inlet source to the building or area, and, therefore, the device may by any known means activate an alert within itself or through any device within the area.
An additional system could be attached to a TV set where the antenna or cable is connected, and that system could cause an alert to show up on the screen, regardless of any other activity the TV may be performing.
It is to be noted that the device should be manufactured with a reliable but economical design to make it easily marketable similar to that of a smoke detector that would enable virtually every civilized household in the world to be able to have one or more of these units in the home. This device would be of particular importance to those residents of mobile homes or the elderly that may go to sleep early and not have a radio or television activated, or in the case of minor children that may be left at home while their parents were away at work or at another activity, and therefore, adding peace of mind to the parents that the children would be notified in the case of an emergency without them being there, regardless of what activities the children may be involved in at any given moment.
This system could also be activated if not by means of cellular or other towers, by means of a radio signal transmitted from a police, fire or other emergency vehicle that could travel through a community and broadcast the signal to the specific area where an emergency may be in effect.
Another embodiment which may be considered would be to have a means of selecting a specific frequency by means of a predetermined dial or television station, etc., which could broadcast a signal on different frequencies for different areas of the city or county where the emergency may be in effect. The vast number of current and emerging technologies that may or may not be specified herein, could be applied to the basic concept of a low cost, simple device that can notify persons in one or any number of specific areas of pending danger and other desired notifications. This system can also be scaled up to communicate with an entire building, such as a school, store, factory, office, etc., by the utilization of repeating or activated by a device plugged into the telephone incoming connection to additional devices as the distance or interference in a building may limit the effectiveness of the signal or transmission, and is activated by a 911 dispatcher. This can be accomplished by means of an adapter that plugs into an electrical outlet with a battery reserve that is activated by the same means and may turn on and off repeatedly, or any desired effect activating any electrical device plugged into the device. Also, the device may be the primary receiver and transmit to other devices within a desired range of the primary device. The secondary device may activate independently or adaptively, by modification, or in combination with post manufacturing, communication or activation.